Cork’s road bowling championships delivered dramatic finishes, with Colm Crowley snatching a Junior B semi-final victory on the final shot and Ger Connolly also booking his place in the county final.
Hannah Sexton claimed her third Munster senior title and now targets All-Ireland glory, while Meabh Cuinnea continued her impressive run with county U16 semi-final and U18 final victories.
Attention now turns to Ballinagree this weekend, where bowlers will compete for All-Ireland honours.

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Just when you think you have won a score it can be cruelly snatched away from you by the stones of the road. This is what happened to Ger O’Driscoll, Newcestown when he lost by the last shot to Colm Crowley Bauravilla in the junior B county semi-final at Derrinasaffa, his last bowl played perfect veered off left caught a stone and missed Crowley’s tip by ten meters. Playing for a stake of €3,600 a-side, after three each to the end of the wall O’Driscoll had thirty meters of odds, a monumental blunder from Crowley with his next when he totally misplaced it very right only beat the tip by two meters so O’Driscoll was almost an early bowl of odds up. O’Driscoll got two super bowls to Healy’s lane where he raised the bowl of odds. Both went poor sight at Natties bend in two more where it was an even bowl for O’Driscoll. Crowley got a phenomenal eight shot just short of Cotters Cross and O’Driscoll dropped his bowl and missed this tip well and only beat it again by thirty meters. Both got god bowls into the hedging where O’Driscoll held a twenty five meter advantage. Crowley put himself out of the score again with a poor ninth, it was weak and fell left, no sight at the Darkwood turn and O’Driscoll went up full sight. After three more past Dwyer’s O’Driscoll extended his odds to seventy meters. O’Driscoll looked like a winner when he got a super bowl to Hon Grady’s but Crowley wasn’t giving up and lined a good bowl to O’Neill’s lane, O’Driscoll dropped a lot of odds when he only beat this tip by thirty meters. But again Crowley made a bad blunder when he blew his fifteenth shot across right, another big chance for O’Driscoll to put this score to bed but he was tight left and only beat the tip by forty meters for the last shots. Crowley closed his eyes for the last shot up the left track and made the Cottage, a great bowl but very beatable, O’Driscoll played his bowl over the sop but it fell left caught a stone and missed the tip.

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CONNOLLY SETS UP FINAL AGAINST CROWLEY

In the second semi-final at the Marsh Road Ger Connolly, Shannonvale had a convincing win over Denis O’Driscoll, Drimoleague, they played for a stake of €12,000 a-side. The start of the Marsh Road to the Council yard gate has been newly re-surfaced with tarmacadam. After two shots each Connolly was fore bowl by forty meters, O’Driscoll’s bowl hopped the kerbing. O’Driscoll got a huge fourth that Connolly missed by forty meters and had twenty five meters after his next shot at the Veterinary entrance. Connolly got a perfect sixth shot up past the last Council Gate and O’Driscoll beat this by two meters. Connolly missed sight for the silvery gates with his next and O’Driscoll got a super rub off the left dyke out peeping sight, a bad bad blunder from Connolly with his next caught the right bend and O’Driscoll was now in the driving seat and beat this tip by a hundred meters. Connolly’s ninth bowl was absolutely perfect down the middle of the road and it reeled O’Driscoll’s odds back to twelve meters. O’Driscoll missed out the steps in two more and Connolly out full sight and the pendulum swung in his favour, O’Driscoll got a very well-played bowl around the steps bend but Connolly got a massive next that O’Driscoll missed to fall a bowl down. Both missed out sight for Ballyhilty in two more but it was still a bowl of odds for Connolly. Connolly made the avenue in two more shots and it took O’Driscoll three to fall almost two bowl down.

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SEXTON TARGETS ALL-IRELAND FINAL AFTER WINNING HER THIRD MUNSTER SENIOR CROWN

Hannah Sexton, will bid for All-Ireland glory this weekend after defending her Munster crown. With back to back county senior titles, the Timoleague woman will be eager to go one step further when she returns to Ballinagree for the All-Ireland series this weekend. Sexton who has now won three senior titles since 2022 was just too strong for local Denise Murphy, Ballinagree in the senior ladies final, played before a huge crowd at Ballinagree for a stake of €4,600 a-side. Sexton raised an early bowl of odds in this score with three great opening shots to the White Wall, Murphy knocked the bowl by ten meters with a super fifth past the new house’s, from here Sexton unleashed a bullet of a bowl that went around the Quay Wall, a distance of approx 200 mt. Murphy beat this by fifteen meters in two shots. Sexton was bowling with incredible power and after two more back of the falling pole, Murphy followed a huge bowl to keep it under the two bowls of odds. Sexton’s seventh wasn’t her best but Murphy did not take her chance to close the gap and only beat this tip by two meters, just short of two bowls of odds. Sexton let go another bullet and Murphy lined a super bowl and beat the tip by twenty five meters. At the junior finish Sexton raised the two bowls of odds. Murphy lined a big thirteenth that knocked the two bowls again, heading for An Capaillín Ban Cross Sexton got a huge rub off the right dyke that took her down full sight, Murphy followed and made the cross a huge bowl well under the two bowls of odds at this juncture. Sexton closed the score out with three great bowls over the line to win by a bowl of odds, she now plays Dervla Toal Mallon in the All-Ireland final, a title that she has yet to get her hands on, after two previous defeats in 2022 & 2025.

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CUINNEA TAKES SEMI-FINAL BY ONLY FORE BOWL

Meabh Cuinnea from Rosscarbery came from a bowl of odds down to snatch a last shot win over Chloe Hubbard, Rylane at Castletown in the girl’s U16 county semi-final. Hubbard opened this score with three huge bowls to the Hollies where she had a bowl of odds. Cuinnea got a good fifth that knocked the bowl, after four more each both missed the cross where it was still under the bowl of odds. Both threw for the kerbing and Cuinnea got the better rub. A huge twelfth shot from Hubbard all the way to the second set of lines at Pegs Hole yielded the bowl of odds again for her. Cuinnea took a valuable twelve meters off the line, Hubbard a fantastic shot to sight for the last bend but Cuinnea lined a better shot and had no bowl to make the last bend. It was an even bowl of odds facing up the hill for the finish line in Hubbard’s favour. Cuinnea got a phenomenal seventeenth shot up the hill that Hubbard missed by twenty meters. Hubbard just missed the line with her next but Cuinnea lined another astronomical shot well up past the finish line, it looked like Hubbard had too much odds and should beat it easy but she left her bowl right and it got held up in the high grass a meter shy of Cuinnea’s tip.

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CUINNEA ON A ROLL

Meabh Cuinnea is on a roll right now. But spare a thought for Darcy O’Brien who had to succumb to another defeat in a county final, having previously lost U16 in 2022, Junior & U18 in 2025 and on this occasion she lost to Meabh Cuinnea in the U18 final played at Ballinagree. Cuinnea on the other hand is no stranger to the podium, an U12 winner in 2022 and a dual winner in U14 & U16 in 2024. Cuinnea got off to a poor start, her first shot was very left, hopped the kerb and hit a pole, and O’Brien on the other hand opened with a super bowl to the Laine Bar. After two more Cuinnea had the odds back to twenty meters, she then lined a super fourth well down the hill that yielded her, her first lead by forty meters. O’Brien was very unlucky to get caught at the white wall. O’Brien lined a smashing fourth shot to the end of the houses and from here Cuinnea got three poor bowls in succession and found herself fighting almost a bowl of odds down at the end of the Quay Wall all to twenty five meters. An important rub with her seventh kept the bowl down by forty meters. O’Brien carrying a slight left hand pull got no justice out of her next bowl. A huge eight from Cuinnea got her right back into the score as she took back the lead by four meters. O’Brien replied with a good ninth shot but Cuinnea carrying that little bit extra pep got another great bowl and beat the tip by twenty five meters. A lapse in the road showing for O’Brien’s next cost her a lot of odds and she got punished by Cuinnea who followed up with another fantastic shot that O’Brien beat by only twenty meters. So almost a bowl in it at this juncture. Not a great eleventh from Cuinnea and O’Brien had a chance to close the gap but only beat the tip by thirty meters. Cuinnea finished with a massive twelfth just back of the finish line that O’Brien missed to fall a bowl of odds down. Cuinnea now plays Megan O’Reilly who has won the U-16 All-Ireland for the last two seasons in this weekend’s All-Ireland Finals at Ballinagree.

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HUGE LAST SHOT SEALS THE DEAL FOR DESMOND

The Junior Ladies county final at Ballinagree was a very close contest from start to finish, neither lady leading by more than twenty five meters at any stage in the score. From the Gaeltacht region you had Rachel Desmond playing Kay Kelly from Banteer in the North Cork region for a stake of €1,300 a-side. Kelly opened with a huge first shot that went well past the Larne Bar, Desmond done well to come within fifteen meters of the tip. Two more each out to the white wall where Kelly led by five meters. Desmond took her first lead with a great fourth past the new houses. Both players were too tight right and hit the Quay Wall with their fifth and Kelly was back in front again by one meter. Two more each to the Post Office and Desmond was back in front by twenty five meters. Down the home straight and Desmond was only keeping her nose in front by a couple of meters. At the falling pole her odds was just two meters. Both got poor eleventh shots with Desmond still fore bowl. At Horgan’s Gates and for the last shots, Desmond had two meters of odds. Kelly lined what looked like a winner but Desmond said not tonight as she lined a perfect bowl of her own that fell in a meter hind bowl but dribbled out of the dyke and beat the tip by a few feet. Her opponent in the All-Ireland this weekend will be Alice Mackle a sister of Thomas.

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ARTHUR MCDONAGH HAS BOOKED HIS PLACE IN THE MEN'S SHOWPIECE FNAL

In the men’s senior semi-final at Grenagh, Daly had an early advantage after a good start and out sight above the lollipops in three good bowls he held a bowl of odds advantage. McDonagh knocked the bowl before the palms with a huge bowl. After three more Daly was keeping his nose in front but McDonagh was closing the gap with each shot. McDonagh got an incredible bowl, an important shot out to Boula bend to keep Daly’s odds to one bowl. Daly’s bowl going through the cross took a bad knock to the right and missed sight, advantage for McDonagh now which he took with a perfect shot out and around to level up the score. That blunder deflated Daly and McDonagh pressed home to win by a bowl of odds. He awaits the winner of Aidan Murphy or James O’Donovan for the final on July 26th.

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In regional boy’s u-16 finals, Jack Allen beat Luke Barry in the Mid Cork final at Ballinacurra. Fionán Twohig beat Darragh Ahern in the South West final at Lyre. Eoghan Hickey beat Oisin Murray in the West Cork final at Inch. Anna Deane won the girl’s U-16 Mid Cork final from Alison Kelleher at Castletown. Brian Harrington won the Carbery U-14 final from Cathal Gleeson at The Marsh Road. James Murphy won the Mid Cork U-14 Final from Sean Hickey at Newcestown. Conor O’Sullivan won the West Cork U12 from Harry Kingston at Bantry, Cait Young won the girls U12 from Farah Healy at Bantry. Billy Connolly won the North East Junior C final from David Stokes at Grenagh for €4,000 a-side. Brian Coughlan won the Carbery Novice A from David Minihane for €750 a-side, Sidney Shannon won the Carbery Novice B from David. Abbie McDonnell won the North East U16 final from Carrie O’Donovan at Carrignavar.

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MURPHY TAKES LOCAL TOURNAMENT HONOURS

In the midst of this busy season of championship fixtures, the Mid Cork club of Jagoe’s Mill’s managed to squeeze in their novice D tournament final for the “Kenneth Murphy Memorial Plate”, played out between local man Derick Murphy and Innishannon man Darren O’Driscoll, playing for a stake of €1,750 a-side. Even though O’Driscoll missed up sight with his first shot there was nothing between them after two. O’Driscoll took his first lead with a great third shot through the cross, and held his lead to one meter after two more to the dump. A great bowl from Murphy to the footpath won him back the lead but this was short lived as O’Driscoll replied with a super bowl to Lawton’s, where he was back in front again, three more each to the railway entrance and O’Driscoll’s odds was minimal, after two more to the power station Murphy won back the lead by five meters and finished the stronger to take the honours. In a return score Thomas Maloney took his third victory of the week off of Martin O’Donovan for a stake of €750 a-side.

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GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN BALLINAGREE FOR THE 1ST SERIES OF ALL-IRELANDS

No stone has been left unturned in Ballinagree for this weekend’s All-Ireland finals, as we have seen over the past two weekends of county finals, they have a huge hardworking committee, and the road is in pristine condition and the dykes well-manicured. They also have loads of parking so please everyone, park in the designated car parks. They have also produced a wonderful programme. We want to wish all the bowlers both North and South every good luck, and come Sunday we will have six new All-Ireland champions.